Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Spicy Pork Meatballs with Mushroom Gravy

Well
after four years in Manhattan it finally happened… Connecticut stole me
away. Over the summer I was offered a
“fancy” job in Stamford and couldn’t refuse.
Between this new opportunity and another massive rent increase, I
decided it was time to make the move I always assumed I would eventually make.

There
was a lot of stress, tears and torment about whether I was making the right
choice, but after a month in my new home I’m finally feeling content and
settled. I miss my little midtown
studio, but now I have my big swanky kitchen with a real live dishwasher and
actual drawers and counter space! I
adore having the availability to cook now – I mean really cook (like use all of my baking dishes and glass bowls for
one meal). I got to the point in New
York where I was just ordering from Seamless and pre-made meals from Fresh
Direct, all while using paper plates and hating myself for it. I managed to
over indulge in my favorite foods and restaurants before leaving permanently.

One of
our favorite “new” places to nosh back in the “old days” was The Meatball Shop
down in Greenwich Village. A mix and
match menu offering a “create your own” meal focused around homemade meatballs
and sauces. My absolute favorite was the
spicy pork meatball slider with mushroom gravy.
Every bite (which was usually only 4) was a combination of salty, spicy,
comfort food perfection. I had to get
their cookbook.

While I
think the New York Public Library is wonderful, it would often take a very long
time to receive anything held in the inter-library loan system… if ever. I requested The Meatball Shop cookbook in
March or April and just knew I wouldn’t get it before moving. Luckily my new
library offers inter-loan throughout the entire state of Connecticut and it
only took 5 days to get my hands on the precious MSC.

I
haven’t had much time or energy during the week for preparing full meals, so
this past weekend it was a must. Fighting the masses, I headed to Whole Foods
Saturday afternoon (which was absolute heaven compared to NYC) to gather my
ingredients. How much I love Whole Foods
is another blog entry waiting to happen/be forgotten about.

Aside
from the time to cut up mushrooms and onion, these recipes are honestly really
simple to make and not terribly time consuming.
Here it is: spicy pork meatball with mushroom gravy goodness.

Mushroom Gravy

I
suggest starting the mushroom gravy first – while it’s cooking, you have plenty
of time to prepare and cook the meatballs.
The amount of mushrooms and especially 4 cups of chicken stock seem
excessive, but trust me – it all cooks down to just enough for a dozen
meatballs!

Adapted from The Meatball Shop Cookbook

¼ cup
olive oil

1 large
onion, sliced thinly (and some chopped)

½
tablespoon salt

1 pound
baby bella mushrooms, sliced or chopped

2/3 cup
of white wine (I used chardonnay as it was on hand)

4 cups
chicken stock

4
tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

¼ cup
flour

Pepper
to taste

Heat
olive oil in large saucepan on medium heat.
Add onions and salt, stirring constantly (or almost constantly) until
the onions have become soft and translucent – about 10 minutes.

Add
mushrooms and cook until almost all of their liquid has evaporated – about 12
minutes. Add white wine and continue
cooking until the pan is almost dry. Add the chicken stock and cook until
reduced by half – about 35 minutes.

Combine
butter and flour and mix together until a paste is formed. Add paste to simmering gravy and whisk until
paste has completely dissolved and gravy has thickened. Stir in pepper to taste.

Spicy Pork Meatballs

Before and after.... Delicious.

Makes about 14 meatballs

1 pound
ground pork

½
tablespoon salt

¼ cup
sliced jarred hot cherry peppers, minced

3
tablespoons hot cherry pepper pickling liquid

1/3 cup
panko bread crumbs

2 large
eggs

Preheat
oven to 450°F. Spray 9” glass baking
dish with my friend Pam.

Combine
all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix by hand, very intimately, until
thoroughly incorporated. Add more bread
crumbs if mixture is too moist.